Innovations in transportation have been very important in Edmonton’s growth and economic prosperity. Canoe brigades of the fur trade gave way to the York boat which could carry more freight, and then to the Steamboat which could carry even more freight and many passengers at ease. Trails across the prairies were traversed first by horse, then oxen and carts and stagecoaches, which then gave way to coal fired locomotives on steel rails. Ferries across rivers were replaced by bridges that allowed passage in any season and without waits on the riverbank. Streetcars allowed workers to travel longer distances in shorter times than walking and eventually trolleys and then buses replaced them with the ease of going without tracks or cables. Mail and passengers requiring days of travel by horse-drawn and even mechanized vehicles were whisked skyward to be delivered by airplanes in less than half the time. With each innovation isolation, cost and time spent were all reduced, making living in Edmonton so much easier.

EA-10-2763 Upper Ferry c. 1912 with the High Level bridge and the chimney of the Legislature power plant and the remains of Fort Edmonton behind the ferrymen.

Each of the transportation milestones identified in last weeks questions moved Edmonton further ahead economically and socially. With each improvement in the transportation sector it became easier to get to Edmonton (or away from it), to move around the City, to move goods into and out of the markets and to encourage people to settle here for business or personal reasons.

1. Built in 1900, what is Edmonton’s earliest bridge across the North Saskatchewan River?

The Edmonton Bridge was converted in 1902 to allow the first train to cross into the City from the South side. It was renamed the Low Level after the construction of the High Level Bridge in 1913. It was twinned in 1948 when the west side was added for south-bound traffic.

5. Edmonton saw its first airplane flight on September 5, 1909. Who was the pilot and builder of this small plane?

A. Roy Brown
B. Wop May
C. Rosella BjornsonD. Reginald Hunt

EA-10-2322 Wop May & his first Airplane 1921.Reginald Hunt was not as well known as Wop May – in fact he hadmoved away by 1921. May had more flair.

Most people don’t know that an Edmontonian was one of the first Canadians to fly – but Reg Hunt also built the one winged airplane himself – because he was a carpenter. He flew the plane for about a year before he crashed while preparing for the Edmonton Exhibition. He was fine but the plane was destroyed. Hunt then built boats for the Hudson Bay Company.

6. When did the first train pass over the High Level Bridge?

A: 1912B: 1913C: 1914D: 1915

7. What Iroquois trapper and guide, also known as Tete Jaune, were the Yellowhead Pass and Highway named after?

Indigenous and Metis people often served as guides to fur trade era explorers because they knew the land so well. It is possible Hatsinaton was Metis because he had blond hair. Laurent Garneau was a Metis who lived in Strathcona on the land which eventually became the neighbourhood which bears his name and the University of Alberta. Louis Riel was a leader in the Metis community at Red River who challenged the Dominion Government when they annexed the settlement without consultation or representation of the majority of the people in the area. Audrey Poitras was the first female and current President of the Metis Nation elected in 1996.

8. The Rat Hole opened October 19, 1928. What was the “Rat Hole”?

A. a hole in Mayfair Park
B. an overpass for trains over Jasper Avenue
C. a bar on Jasper AveD. an underpass for vehicles under the CNR tracks at 97 Street9. What major transit network officially opened on April 22, 1978?

A: The LRT
B: The Anthony Henday
C: The High Level Bridge
D: The Yellowhead Highway10. The Disabled Adult Transportation System (DATS) was created to provide affordable transportation within Edmonton to people with physical disabilities. In what year did the initial two year pilot project begin?

Actually for question 8, the correct answer would be that the Rat Hole was for vehicles to pass under the tracks at 109 Street – there is a commemorative marker on both sides of its former location by MacEwan University.

Patrick Marriott

8 months ago

The Rat Hole actually referred to the concrete tunnel that provided the underpass of 109 Street below the CNR yards.

Elizabeth

7 months ago

We confess; we made a mistake on the location of the Rathole, which was actually on 109th Street and went under the CN tracks that ran east/west.

Despite four proof readers and fact checkers we let that one slip through! Thanks to everyone who let us know, we appreciate you taking the time to follow up with us.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the Trivia Contest so far. Look for new questions every Friday until June 30 and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us with feedback or questions through the comment section on the blogs or at cms.archives@edmonton.ca.